Environmental group grades Iowa congressional delegation

An environmental group has released a report outlining how Iowa’s Congressional delegation voted over the last year-and-a-half on bills designed to cut global warming and air and water pollution. Environment Iowa reviewed 15 votes in the House and seven votes in the Senate.

Spokesperson Eric Nost says Congressman Leonard Boswell and Senator Tom Harkin, both Democrats, “consistently decided to put the environment ahead of big polluters.” The report also gives high marks to Democratic Congressmen Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack, but notes they both missed at least one vote because of the 2008 floods.

Nost says he hopes Iowans will review the environmental voting records of elected officials before heading to the polls next November. In June, the U.S. House passed a bill designed to promote clean energy and limit global warming pollution. Nost says he hopes the Senate will pass the same measure in 2010.

“We also want to see, from both the House and Senate, stronger action on water quality issues,” Nost said. “We want to see the House start considering a bill that would restore the Clean Water Act to its rightful position.”